John Blundell of MLB wins Fishel Award for MLB public relations excellence

John Blundell of the commissioner's office has won the Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence. The Fishel Award is named for the former executive with Cleveland, the St. Louis Browns, the New York Yankees and the American League office. Former Fishel winners and MLB officials vote on the award. Blundell, a vice president of communications, just finished his 26th season with MLB. He manages media operations and accreditation for the postseason, All-Star Game and international and domestic special events.

Brewers manager going to miss departing shortstop Willy Adames: 'Losing this guy, whew'

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has seen a lot of good players leave during his time in Milwaukee, and he isn't ready to think about next season without departing shortstop Willy Adames. Murphy says he was a leader in the clubhouse and did as much as anybody for the team as the Brewers were NL Central champions. The 29-year-old Adames is leaving in free agency after agreeing to a $182 million, seven-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. Adames is coming off his best offensive season in the big leagues after hitting .251 with a career-high 32 homers and 112 RBIs. He played in 161 games.

Blue Jays, Dodgers and Red Sox among losing bidders for Juan Soto

The Toronto Blue Jays lost out on Juan Soto, a year after failing to sign Shohei Ohtani. Soto agreed Sunday to a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets, a deal pending a successful physical. In addition to the Blue Jays, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers sought Soto. Soto's deal tops the $700 million, 10-year contract Ohtani signed with the Dodgers last December. Red Sox manager Alex Cora enjoyed getting to know Soto. The All-Star outfielder's agent is Scott Boras, also Cora's agent when he was a player.

Having regained his health, Terry Francona excited to return to dugout with Cincinnati Reds

Terry Francona is excited to return to the dugout with the Cincinnati Reds after regaining his health. A three-time Manager of the Year who turns 66 in April, Francona was hired to replaced David Bell. Francona led Cleveland for 11 seasons before retiring at the end of the 2023 season, when he needed a shoulder replacement and double hernia surgery. Francona takes over a Reds team that has reached the postseason just once since 2013, in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

MLB Free Agent Signings List

MLB Free Agent Signings

Merv Rettenmund, outfielder who won World Series titles with the Orioles and Reds, dies at 81

and beat Cincinnati in the World Series. Rettenmund won the 1975 World Series with the Reds and later become a big league hitting coach.

Clay Holmes and Mets finalize $38M, 3-year contract, with plans to convert him into a starter

Clay Holmes and the New York Mets have finalized a $38 million, three-year contract, with plans to convert the All-Star reliever into a starting pitcher. Holmes gets a $13 million salary in each of the first two seasons of the deal. He has a $12 million player option for 2027 with no buyout. Holmes has made four big league starts, all with Pittsburgh when he broke into the majors in 2018. He made 114 starts in the minors. The right-hander developed into a dominant closer with the New York Yankees after he was acquired from the Pirates in July 2021, becoming a two-time All-Star. But he struggled this year with control and led the majors with 13 blown saves, losing his closer's job in September.

Soto's record $765 million, 15-year contract with Mets reverberates through Major League Baseball

Juan Soto's record $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets, the largest and longest deal in baseball history, has reverberated across the winter meetings. It stung the Yankees, who offered $760 million over 16 years to the All-Star outfielder. Soto's deal sparked even greater expectations in a free agent market that includes pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, third baseman Alex Bregman and outfielder Anthony Santander. Many small-market teams have long sought a salary cap but the consensus since the 1994-95 strike has been not to propose a hard limit.

Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani to be ready to hit for opener in Japan, but not be on the mound

Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit when the reigning World Series champions open their season in Japan against the Chicago Cubs in March but is doubtful to pitch. Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that it's very unlikely that the two-way star will be on the mound pitching for the Dodgers in his home country. Ohtani had surgery last month on his left, non-throwing shoulder after getting hurt on a stolen base attempt during the World Series. He didn't pitch at all during the first season of his $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers while recovering from the elbow surgery in September 2023.

RHP Alex Cobb agrees to 1-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, AP source says

The Detroit Tigers have added Alex Cobb to their rotation, agreeing to a one-year contract with the veteran right-hander. A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical. Detroit earned an AL wild card this year for its first postseason appearance since 2014. It swept Houston in the opening round before it was eliminated by Cleveland in five games in their AL Division Series. The 37-year-old Cobb joins a rotation fronted by AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

Phillies gamble on 1-year contract for 2-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed closer Jordan Romano to an $8.5 million, one-year contract, making a short-term bet that the right-hander can return to form following a right elbow injury. An All-Star in 2022 and 2023, Romano spent the first six seasons of his major league career with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has 105 career saves and a 2.90 ERA in 231 relief appearances. The 31-year-old Romano was limited to just eight saves in 15 games last season. He had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in July.

Boyd thankful for chance with Cubs following return from Tommy John surgery

Matthew Boyd is thankful for his new opportunity with the Chicago Cubs. He is hoping to help the team reach the playoffs as a key addition to its starting rotation. The fact that his late grandpa John Boyd was a big fan? That makes this signing all the more sweet for him. Matthew Boyd says his grandfather grew up in Chicago and was "more excited about the Cubs' scores than my own performance some of the times." Boyd finalized a $29 million, two-year contract last weekend after making a successful return from Tommy John surgery.

New White Sox manager Will Venable keeps Grady Sizemore on as offensive coordinator

Grady Sizemore is staying with the Chicago White Sox, serving as the offensive coordinator under first-year manager Will Venable. Sizemore was elevated to interim manager when Chicago fired Pedro Grifol in August. He guided the team to a 13-32 record down the stretch as the White Sox went 41-121 to break the post-1900 major league record for losses in a season. Shortly after Venable was hired in October, he said he anticipated Sizemore being a part of his first staff with his new team. Pitching coach Ethan Katz and hitting coach Marcus Thames also are staying with the White Sox.

$1 million per homer? $27,000 a point? $229 per second? Sports is loaded with money oddities

If Juan Soto replicates his 2024 performance throughout his $765 million, 15-year deal with the Mets, he'll make roughly $1.2 million for every home run he hits. He's hardly the only superstar athlete earning outrageous sums for each of his accomplishments. Some NFL quarterbacks make more than $3 million per game. Stephen Curry could make roughly $161,000 per 3-pointer. This past regular season, Lionel Messi earned $229 for every second he was on the field with Inter Miami.

Sports betting roundup: Some upsets and surprising results in football over the weekend

Championship week in college football has ended, and only Monday Night Football remains in Week 14 of the NFL. There were some upsets on Saturday, which factored into the College Football Playoff field, while the NFL also had a few surprising results. Oregon in the Big Ten championship took in the most bets and money of any team on Saturday. The Ducks defeated Penn State 45-37. Miami's six-point win in overtime against the New York Jets ended up being a push because the Dolphins entered the game as a six-point favorite. The Mets improved to +700 to win the World Series.

Rays' opener moved back a day, giving more time to prepare temporary Steinbrenner Field home

The Rays' opener against the Colorado Rockies has been pushed back a day until March 28 to give Tampa Bay an extra day to adapt the New York Yankees' Steinbrenner Field. Tampa Bay is playing home games at the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, this year because of damage to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9. The Yankees' last spring training home game is against the Rays on March 23.

Roki Sasaki bidding among MLB teams will start Tuesday and run until Jan. 23

Hard-throwing Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki was posted to Major League Baseball teams and will be available to sign as a free agent from Tuesday through 5 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 23. The Chiba Lotte Marines said Nov. 9 that they planned to make Sasaki available. Because he is 23, Sasaki is considered an international amateur by MLB and is limited to a minor league contract subject to the international signing bonus pools usually allocated for 16-year-old Latin American prospects. The 2025 international signing period opens on Jan. 15 and team pools range from $7,555,500 to $5,146,200.

Should Sasaki join Cubs? Emanuel, a fan of the team and ambassador to Japan, is being diplomatic

During a news conference at the United States Embassy in Tokyo, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga was asked what he'd say to countryman Roki Sasaki to convince him to join his team. Sasaki will be moving from Japan next season to join an MLB team, the most sought-after pitcher in this season's free agency. The Cubs are among a half-dozen teams seen as a landing spot. The United States ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel jumped in and joked it was unfair to put Imanaga on the spot. Cubs fan Emanuel says "I know the world's dying to know and they're just going to keep guessing,"